Sting’s The Last Ship Musical Finds a Home and Cast

While the Broadway spring 2014 season is just beginning to get under way, it seems as though some eyes are already looking to the fall 2014 season with the promise of new musicals and musical revivals already. While many famous artists outside of the theatre have written before the music and lyrics of Broadway musicals, the ever-growing trend of artists interested in doing so never seems to fade. This fall, another well-known artists outside of the theatre world will make his Broadway debut for the first time as the composer of a brand new musical. Today, Luner on Theatre brings you the exciting news of the casting and creative team for Sting’s new musical The Last Ship, whichwill sail into Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre come Fall 2014!

The Last Ship is a new musical which features music and lyrics by Sting with a book by Tony winner John Logan and Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Yorkey. The musical tells the story of the small English town of Wallsend, a community that lives and revolves around the work of a local shipyard. The men of this village bring to life magnificent vessel after magnificent vessel without question. One of these men is Gideon Fletcher. However, Gideon has many different ideas and dreams of the future so he leaves his life and love of work behind him and sets out to travel the world. When he returns to his town 14 years later, he discovers the business and trade that defines their world is in grave danger. The man of Wallsend take their future into their own hands and work together to build a towering representation of their shared dream that defines their very existence. This musical brings to life the story of community, passion, faith, family, tradition and more as it shows we as human beings will go to whatever length we have to preserve the only life we have ever known.

Producers of The Last Ship proudly announced some of the initial casting and creative team for the production and even the theatre the production will find a home in on Broadway. Currently, The Last Ship is set to make its pre-Broadway engagement at The Bank of America Theatre in Chicago. The production will run from June 10th, 2014 until July 13th. The production will than head to New York City where it will find it’s home on Broadway at The Neil Simon Theatre on 52nd street where previews will begin September 30th, 2014. The show will officially open October 26th.

Announced today as a part of the principal casting for The Last Ship are Michael Esper,Rachel Tucker, Jimmy Nail, Aaron Lazar, Sally Ann Triplett, Collin Kelly-Sordelet and Fred Applegate. At this point in time, no specific roles have been announced for each actor. An announcement regarding ensemble members for the production will be made at a later point in time.

The Last Ship will be helmed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Pictured Left) who will serve as director for the production. The show will also feature choreography by Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee Steven Hoggett. The rest of the creative team includes Tony nominee David Zinn as scenic and costume designer, Tony Award winner Christopher Akerlind as lighting designer and Tony Award winner Brian Ronan as sound designer. Jeffrey Seller, Kathryn Schenker, Kevin McCollum, Sander Jacobs, James L. Nederlander, Roy Furman, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss are all producers on the brand new production.

I do have to admit, when I first heard about Sting working on a new musical for Broadway, I kinda blew it off. Plenty of artists from outside the theatre world have written for Broadway musicals before and while there have been a handful of successful ones, many have overall have not done well. However, I have to admit that after doing some legit research on this topic last night for this article, I could not be more excited for The Last Ship to head to Broadway. In a video link posted above, there are samples of music Sting has been working on which are so stylized to what this production is all about. Also, the plot of the show is not only a powerful one but something I believe many people will be able to connect with. While we might not all be ship builders, we all know what it is like to live in a community that has a passion for something they declare as their own. I also believe the choice of The Neil Simon Theatre is a fantastic spot for this show. While the Simon is far out of the main theatre district area, I think Sting’s name may bring tourists uptown to check this new production. I also believe this theatre will be just about the perfect size for this style of show. All important factors sometimes I notice producers and landlords ignoring. Bravo to the entire team and the Nederlanders. I can’t wait to see this one!

Luner on Theatre will continue to bring you coverage of Sting’s The Last Ship set to sail into Broadway in Fall 2014! We hope to bring you more casting news as it is announced and even some more coverage as this production docks in Chicago this upcoming summer before heading to New York for its official Broadway bow. For more information, visit Broadway in Chicago’s Official Website or Sting’s Official Website. We will be sure to bring The Last Ship website your way as soon as it has been created. Be sure to check Luner on Theatre on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter as well! We are constantly updating these pages with information! And of course, check out the rest of Luner on Theatre for all your theatre news you don’t only need but want to know!

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Luner on Theatre was a blog created for the sole purpose of being a forum for theatre discussion on the Internet and social networking sites. Luner on Theatre is not only a theatre news-reporting site source, but is also a site that works to publish topics that will spark discussion among those working in the theatre industry and the fans that support it.